A coastal town in Thiruvananthapuram District of Kerala, Varkala is the ideal spot to spend an idyllic holiday away from the hustle bustle of the city. Varkala is the only place in southern Kerala where one can find cliffs just adjacent to the Arabian Sea. The spectacular palm-lined beaches, highly unusual land formations, and the 2,000 year old Janardanaswamy Temple, which is an important Vaishnavaite shrine.

Varkala Beaches : The silvery stretches of sands along the Arabian Sea, the panoramic landscape and seascapes - the beaches in Varkala are a tourist's paradise. Idyllic retreats for beach lovers, these beaches are the main tourist attractions in Varkala. 'Papanasam' is one of the main beaches here and it is revered as an important Hindu center of pilgrimage. A dip in the holy waters of this beach is believed to have the magical powers of washing away all your sins, and thereby purifying your body and soul.

Janardhana Temple : The temple of Janardana is a fine ex maple of Kerala art and architecture. The circular ‘Sanctum sanctorum” surmounted by a conical dome of copper sheets, the square ‘mandapa' with beautiful wooden carvings of Navagrahas on the ceiling and copper-plated roof over it, the quadrangular enclosures (prakara0 around them, a hall containing a ‘bali peetha' in front of the inner temple are the characteristic features of Kerala style of architecture. The construction period of this temple saw the rise of highly embellished temple. one of the inscriptions indicates that the temple was improved during the reign of Umayamma Rani, who ruled this region during 1677-84 A.D.

Sivagiri Mutt : Another important pilgrimage centre is the Sivagiri Mutt. The Sivagiri Mutt, built in 1904, is situated at the top of the Sivagiri hill near Varkala. Even decades after Sree Narayan Guru’s demise here in 1928, his samadhi continues to be swarmed by thousands of devotees, donned in yellow attire, from different parts of Kerala and elsewhere, every year during the Sivagiri Pilgrimage days, which is from 30th December to 1st January.The Sivagiri Mutt is also the headquarters of the Sree Narayana Dharma Sangham, an organization of his disciples and saints, established by the Guru to propagate his concept of 'One Caste, One Religion, One God'.